Labelling apparatus



May 10, 1955 E. E. LAKSO 2,708,051

LABELLING APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

. E I NO E'. L AK so 1 1 C 2 By May 10, 1955 E. E. LAKSO I LABELLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1952 INVENTOR. E mo E Lm 5o BY f 6 rlllllllllbl 4r TOEIVEY 2,708,051 Fatented May 10, 1955 ice LABELLHNG APPARATUS Eino E. Lakso, Fitchburg, Mass, assignor to The Lakso Company Incorporated, Fitchburg, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 24, 1952, Serial No. 295,257

13 Claims. (Cl. 216--60) may be used to hold a labeling device similar to that shown in copending application Serial No. 271,922 filed February 16, 1952, said device relating to a hand-operated tool manually manipulated by the operator for applying heat sensitive labels as for instance to fiat surfaces, whereas in the present case, said tool is held in a relatively fixed position relative to a support upon which a generally cylindrical container may be rotated in cooperation with said hand-operated label-applying tool for applying the label to the container.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an easily operable heat sensitive labeler comprising an apparatus that is essentially very simple in construction and inexpensive in cost of manufacture, the same being easily operated and comprising a base, a standard thereon, and means on the standard to resiiiently hold a labeling tool in vertically adjusted position, said base also mounting an adjustable support for a generally cylindrical container, so that the latter may be rotated thereon in cooperation with said label-applying tool; and the provision of an apparatus as above described including means compensating for slight irregularities in the surface of the container so as to press the heat-responsive label firmly thereto and including means for resiliently pressing the entire standard toward the container so as to apply the necessary pressure for the label application.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an apparatus according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section through the apparatus and showing a work-piece in position to be labeled;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, parts being in section; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, parts being broken away.

Reference is hereby made to copending application Serial No. 271,922 filed February 16, 1952, which discloses a hand-manipulated tool for applying heat-sensitive labels. The details of this tool are not'disclosed in this application but essentially the same comprises a handle having a shank 12 and a heating head 14, said head having an idle pressure roller 16 which in general both feeds and presses a heat-sensitive label from the head 14 onto an object, securing the same thereto.

In the present case, the reference numeral 18 represents a generally cylindrical container and it is desired to apply a heat sensitive label to the surface thereof. This is done by holding the tool in conjunction with the circumference of the container 18 and rotating the latter in contact with roller 16, which then feeds the label onto the curved surface of the container and presses it thereto, securing it firmly.

In order to provide a support for the labeling tool, there is a base 20 near one edge of which is a support 22 provided with a pivot-pin 24 pivotally mounting a bracket for swinging movement on a horizontal axis assuming that base 20 is placed on a horizontal support. The bracket includes a part 26 for receiving a compression spring 28 which tends to bias the bracket in a counter-clockwise direction in Fig. 1. The bracket also includes parts 30 which form a support for a pair of threaded vertical rods 32.

Each rod is provided with a pair of nuts 34 which of course ride up and down the threaded rods upon rotation of the nuts thereon. These nuts are adapted to both travel and clamp between them an upper toolholding plate 36 and a lower tool-holding plate 38, each of which has two pairs of ears as at 40 straddling the respective upright rods 32. Each plate centrally thereof between the rods is provided with arcuate portions accommodating soft rubber cushions 42, which actually hold the handle 10 therebetween in a horizontal mannet.

The rod cushions not only protect the handle against rnarring, but also provide slight movements of the tool in a vertical direction to accommodate for irregularities on the circumference of the container 18 as the latter rotates on its own axis in pressing engagemerit with the wheel 15 of the tool.

The lower plate 33 extends forwardly as clearly seen in Fig. 3 and terminates in a pair of arms 44 which extend upwardly at either side of the shank 12 and-hold the same against any tendency to a lateral motion. Thus the roller 16 is maintained against wabble but may move slightly in a vertical direction only, with the tool. Also, the tool may be angularly tilted to label tapering containers.

Forwardly of the apparatus so far described, the base is provided with slots 46. There may be as many of these slots as required and they adjustably mount a pair of bars 48 by means of a thumb-screw or the like 50 which extends through the respective slot. The bars are adjustable toward and from bracket 22.

At the upper surface of the base 2%), there is a U- shaped bracket 52 for each thumb-screw 50, the heads of the latter being used to clamp brackets 52 to the base 23 in relatively adjusted position thereon. The upright arms of the U-shaped brackets 52 provide journals for a pair of shafts 54 mounting thereon rollers 56. The rollers 56 may be located between the adjacent arms of the respective brackets as in Fig. 2, or they may be removed and placed within the confines of the respective brackets 52 as shown inbroken lines in Fig. l to accommodate extra long containers.

t will be clear that the cylindrical containers are placed upon the rollers, see Fig. 3, the label tool is brought down until the spring 22 gives the required sealing pressure of roller 16 against the circumference of container 18, whereupon with proper heat derived from the tool, the container may be rotated in a clockwise direction in Fig. 3 and the label is then applied easily, quickly and simply. When the label has run through the nip between roller 16 and the circumference of the container 18, the latter may be withdrawn easily because the contact line therebetween lies to the right of a vertical plane through the axis of the container and thus the required pressure is achieved but without actually clamping the container to the label in position.

In order to provide that the label shall be applied to the container at a similar distance from an end thereof, there is provided an adjustable stop 58 which extends into the area of the container, see Fig. 3, and is longitudinally adjustable by being slidably held in a boss or the like 6%) at the front of the base 20. Thus the individual containers one after the other are placed on the rollers, moved into contact with stop 5'8 wherever it may be adjusted, and rotated against roller 16, thus accomplishing the desired heat sensitive labeling.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

l. in a device of the class described, a base, a standard thereon, a plate, means holding the plate in fixed relation to the standard, a labeling device on said plate, a support for rotatably holding a generally cylindrical container to be labeled in cooperative relation with said labeling device so that a label may be applied to the container upon manual rotation thereof on the base, and neans yieldingly pressing the standard in a direction to press the labeling device against the surface of the container, the latter being operatively positioned on and removed from the support manually without disturbing the setting of the plate on the standard, the standard being wholly to one side of the container support and providing for free access to the support, so that a container of any length may be labeled.

2. In a device of the class described, a base, a standard thereon, a plate, means holding the plate in fixed relation to the standard, a labeling device on said plate, a support for rotatably holding a generally cylindrical container to be labeled in cooperative relation with said labeling device so that a label may be applied to the container upon manual rotation thereof on the base, and means yieldingly pressing the standard in a direction to press the labelling device against the surface of the container, the latter being operatively positioned on and removed from the support manually without disturbing the setting of the labeling device, and means to adjust the plate toward and from the base for accommodating containers of different diameters, the standard being wholly to one side of the container support and providing for free access to the support, so that a container of any length may be labeled.

3. In a device of the class described, a base, a standard thereon, means including a labeling device on said standard, a support for rotatably holding a generally cylindrical container to be labeled in cooperative relation with said labeling device so that a label may be applied to the container upon manual rotation thereof on the base, and means yieldingly pressing the labeling device against the surface of the container, said support including parallel supporting rollers, and said labeling device including a presser roller, said supporting and presser rollers being located on parallel axes with the presser roller at one side of a plane midway between the supporting rollers.

4. A labeling device for use with a separate hand labeler comprising a base, a standard thereon, a pair of superposed plates individually adjustable along the stand ard, said plates removably clamping the labeler and securing the same to the standard, a support for the article to be labeled, the labeler and support lightly holding the article therebetween as the label is applied.

5. A labeling device for cylindrical articles for use with a separate hand labeler comprising a base, a standard, a pair of plates each individually adjustable on the standard, said plates removably securing the hand labeler to the standard, a rotary support for the article to be labeled, the labeler and support lightly holding the article therebetween as the label is applied.

6. A labeling device for cylindrical articles for use with '1 s parate hand labeler comprising a base, a standard, a pair of plates each individually adjustable on the standard, said plates removably securing the hand labeler to the standard, a rotary support for the article to be labeled, the labeler and support lightly holding the article therebetween as the label is applied, and spring biasing the standard toward the article on the support.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the support comprises a set of parallel rollers and means adjustably mounting the same for different sizes of articles.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein the support comprises a set of parallel rollers and means adjustably mounting the same for different sizes of articles, a stop rod for positioning the articles uniformly on the rollers, and means to adjust the stop rod parallel to the roller axes.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein the support comprises a pair of elongated parallel shafts, rollers on the shafts, the rollers being shorter than the shafts and being adjustable axially thereon.

10. A labeling device for use with a separate hand labeler comprising a base, a standard thereon, a pair of superposed plates on the standard, said plates removably securing the hand labeler to the standard, a support for the article to be labeled, the labeler and support lightly holding the article therebetween as the label is applied, said plates being adjustable along the standard, and thick cushioning material on the facing surfaces of the plates to allow a slight motion of the labeler relative to the plates.

11. A device of the class described comprising a base, a standard thereon, a twin roller type support on the base, a separate hand labeler on the standard, a pair of superposed plates on the standard adjustable therealong, the lower plate having a forwardly extending fork and supporting the hand labeler vertically and laterally, said labeler having a pressing roller, the plates holding the labeler with its pressing roller parallel to the rollers of the support, above the same, and to one side of a vertical plane located midway between the rollers of the support, spring means biasing the standard to cause the labeler roller to exert a resilient pressure on a cylindrical container on the twin rollers, while providing for manual application and removal of the container from operative labeling position.

12. The device of claim ll including means to mount the twin rollers for lateral adjustment toward and away from each other, and an adjustable end stop for locating containers on the rollers.

13. The device of claim ll including thick cushioning material on the plates to allow a slight motion of the hand labeler relative to the plates to compensate for irregularities in the containers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,236,074 Feybusch Aug. 7, 1917 1,561,600 Feybuseh et al Nov. 17, 1925 2,464,937 Paisley Mar. 22, 1949 

